1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lamp holder assemblies, and more particularly to a pull-out lamp holder assembly for slim profile, tubular fluorescent lamps for use in a reduced scale, compact, shallow luminaire with tight spacing between the lamps and the reflector forming the optical system of the luminaire.
2. Description of Prior Art
Tubular fluorescent lamps commonly have a pair of base pins extending from each end of the lamp. The preferred lamp sockets for these tubular fluorescent lamps accept the lamp pins at one orientation and require that the lamp be rotated 90 degrees to create electro-mechanical contact between the socket contacts and the lamp pins. Thus, the lamps become mechanically locked into the sockets. Prior art lamp holders for tubular fluorescent lamp luminaires are typically non-movably attached to the luminaire.
With the introduction of slim profile, triphosphor high output fluorescent lamps designers have been able to reduce the scale of fluorescent luminaires. As a result of the luminaire's smaller scale, optical distribution considerations require a tight spacing between the optical reflector and lamp. However, this tight spacing complicates installing and replacing lamps in the luminaire.
For example, T5HO type lamps have a diameter of ⅝ inch, and provide optimum output at a high ambient temperature (95° F.), allowing for the design of more shallow, compact luminaires producing luminaires with high overall efficiencies. However, with such shallow, compact designs, the optical package design may require the lamps to be placed within 2 mm of the reflector. With reflector designs that wrap around the lamps, and in luminaires utilizing multiple lamps in close proximity to each other, there is little or no access to grasp the lamp body to perform the twist and lock/unlock procedure for installing/removing the lamps from the lamp sockets.